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Cranbrook, BC (August 31, 2026) – Over the past few years, Asset Management has become a core part of how the City of Cranbrook does its work. While the term can sound like a buzzword, it simply means taking a thoughtful, proactive approach to caring for the physical and natural assets the City owns — from roads and water systems to parks, buildings, and vehicles.

This Service Spotlight series is designed to make Asset Management easier to understand and show how this quietly guides the everyday work the City does on behalf of the community.

At its core, Asset Management is about getting the best value from what the City owns by balancing cost, risk, and performance over the full life of each asset. Cranbrook’s Asset Management Strategy brings together years of planning, data, and best practices into a shared approach that helps departments make consistent, informed decisions. By focusing on regular condition assessments and long-term planning, the City can maintain and replace infrastructure at the right time, reduce risks, and plan responsibly — supporting reliable services today and for generations to come.

In this spotlight, we focus on our spray irrigation site and lagoons.

Spray Irrigation Site

At the spray irrigation site, City crews completed a wide range of maintenance and improvement work in 2025 to keep the system operating reliably and efficiently. This included upgrades to Pond 1’s aeration system, replacement of the Field A pivot, rebuilding two more irrigation pumps and motors, and repairs to several mainline leaks across the site.

Other work focused on improving day-to-day operations and protecting existing infrastructure. Crews removed old grain silos in Field K, installed new farm gate valves to better control water supplied to ranchers, and sealed and painted steel irrigation mainlines in the irrigation pumphouse where rust and corrosion were beginning to appear.

One of the larger projects was completed along the Kootenay River outfall, where erosion on the riverbank had become a concern after the bank receded over time. Riprap armouring was installed to help protect the bank, cover exposed pipe, and reduce the risk of further localized erosion. The access road to the outfall was also upgraded, making it easier for staff to maintain and service the area in the future.

Looking ahead, planned improvements for 2026 include continued work on the ponds, pumps, valves, controls, and irrigation equipment that support the spray irrigation system. The City also plans to improve energy efficiency by adding variable frequency drives to pumps used for watering livestock, upgrade remote-control capabilities for the booster pump, and continue preparing biosolids for future use as fertilizer on the irrigation fields. 

Wastewater Treatment Lagoons

Over the past several years, the City of Cranbrook has invested millions of dollars, supported by federal and provincial grants, to upgrade the City’s wastewater treatment lagoons. This work is helping improve how wastewater is collected, treated, and managed while supporting the long-term reliability of an essential community service.

Earlier phases of the project included new sanitary trunk main piping from the wastewater collection system to the lagoons, desludging work in Cells 1, 2, and 3, new bypass piping, upgraded aeration diffusers, and reinforcement of lagoon berms. Together, these improvements help extend the life of the lagoon system and keep it operating effectively.

The next phase will continue building on that work with new baffle curtains to improve how long wastewater remains in treatment and two new screener assemblies at the lagoon headworks. Operations staff are also moving forward with a new aeration compressor model that is expected to reduce energy use and lower costs for the primary treatment process.

Staff are also looking at new ways to reduce sludge buildup in the lagoon cells, including working with a B.C. company on the use of granular enzymes to support natural biological activity in the wastewater system. Alongside these improvements, Public Works continues to plan regular maintenance for pumps, motors, compressors, sensors, meters, HVAC, electrical systems, and other key equipment that keeps the treatment system running.

Together, the work at the spray irrigation site and wastewater treatment lagoons shows how Asset Management is being put into practice across the City’s daily operations. By maintaining equipment, replacing aging infrastructure, protecting natural areas, and planning ahead for future upgrades, the City is helping keep these essential systems reliable, efficient, and better prepared to serve the community over the long term.

This proactive approach also helps the City make thoughtful decisions about where to invest time and resources. Whether it is improving energy efficiency, reducing erosion risks, extending the life of lagoon cells, or preparing biosolids for future use, each project supports the same goal: providing dependable public services today while planning responsibly for the needs of tomorrow.

You can find all our previous Service Spotlight Series articles, and find more information about Asset Management @ https://cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/oic/asset-management-service-series.